Despite the blunders against Minnesota this past week, the Panthers’ defense has been trending in the right direction. The pass rush is picking up, the run defense is steadily improving and Jermey Chinn is a serious defensive rookie of the year candidate. However, the cornerback group and the rest of the secondary has been extremely inconsistent.
In fact, since Josh Norman left, the Panthers have not had a true No. 1 corner they can rely on to match up with the NFC South’s physical receivers. Let’s take a look at a prospect who could change all that: South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn.
Profile:
6-foot-1, 205 pounds
Projected 40 yard dash: 4.45 seconds
Pros: Yes Panthers fans, Jaycee is the son of Saints legend Joe Horn. Hear me out on this though, because Jaycee is going to be one heck of a player. Horn is a tough, lanky, physical and athletically gifted DB. He is tremendous in press coverage, an alpha at the catch point and excellent in zone. Speed is not his strong suit, but Horn displays “good enough” wheels for the corner position. He has shown on film that he can shut down physical wide receivers, such as Auburn’s Seth Williams. Horn also displays great play strength in his tackling ability and with his hands at the catch point. He is the definition of a physical, ball-hawking, outside corner.
Cons: Horn is fine in man coverage but, because of his physical play style, he gets a bit grabby with his hands and occasionally draws pass interference flags because of it. He also is a bit stiff in the hips while flipping into his transition and has been burned before by speedsters such as Auburn’s Anthony Schwartz.
Overall, Horn projects really well to the NFL. He can make an immediate impact covering the league’s most physical receivers in zone-heavy schemes.
2020 Highlights:
How he compares:
Horn is definitely overshadowed in the cornerback group by Alabama’s Pat Surtain III and Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley. Horn seems to have established himself as CB3 in this year’s class, though. Farley and Surtain III are more well-rounded corners overall, but Horn is bigger and far more physical. At the end of the day, scheme fits and play style preference will be the determining factor as to how high Horn will go.
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